Inspiration, ideas and information to help women build public speaking content, confidence and credibility. Denise Graveline is a Washington, DC-based speaker coach who has coached more than 140 TEDMED and TEDx speakers--many featured on TED.com--and prepared speakers to testify before the U.S. Congress, appear on national television, and deliver industry keynotes. She offers 1:1 coaching and group workshops in public speaking, presentation and media interview skills to both men and women.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Tablet computers are expected to be a hot item when holiday shoppers start taking advantage of the "Black Friday" deals that will start later this week. But should speakers ask for tablets or a standard Kindle e-reader? Close readers of the blog know that I recommend Kindles for public speakers, who can use them to:

replace note cards or text;

adjust type size when reading a speech;

store quotes, notes, and references related to a speech;

email speeches and other notes or documents to the device and read them;

hear your speeches read aloud;

avoid lugging lots of paper when you travel on a speaking tour;

create a makeshift teleprompter for video recordings; and

refer to and read notes in direct sunlight for outdoor events or well-lit rooms.

Today, there are several new Kindle
models as well as a new Kindle Fire
tablet, as well as the Nook
and iPad
tablet computers. For speakers and presenters, your choice of tablet or e-reader will come down to these considerations:

Price: The least expensive new Kindle is just $79; the iPad comes in at $500 or higher, depending on the features and model.

Color v. black and white: Only the Kindle Fire has full color, but the standard Kindles do just fine with text.

Back lighting: A huge advantage for the speaker is the standard Kindle's lack of a backlit screen. It's better for your eyes, and allows you ease in reading outdoors as well as indoors--the closest thing to text on paper. But if you find yourself needing to read aloud from a text in a dark room, those backlit screens on tablets are for you.

Photos and video: If you also want a camera in the device, the iPad's your choice. Want to show slides, photos in color and video--perhaps when demonstrating something at an exhibit or other informal presentation? Then a color tablet, such as the iPad or Kindle Fire are your targets. The standard Kindle does well reproducing graphics and black-and-white photos.

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